Fernando del Pulgar

Born in 15th-century Castile, Fernando del Pulgar served as a royal secretary and chronicler connected to the court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. He is usually associated with the circle of the Catholic Monarchs and is remembered as one of the important prose writers of his time.

His best-known works include the Claros varones de Castilla, a collection of biographical sketches of notable people, and his chronicle of the Catholic Monarchs. Those writings are valued for their lively character studies and for the way they bring together politics, personality, and court life.

Some details of his life remain uncertain, which is common for writers of the 1400s, but he is generally placed as dying around 1492. Today he is read as both a literary figure and a key witness to the culture and power struggles of early modern Spain.